From Anecdotes of Dogs by Edward Jesse, Esq., 1858
The Colley Or Shepherd’s Dog: a wonderful sheep-dog
“It is a curious fact in the history of these animals, that the most useless of the breed have often the greatest degree of sagacity in trifling and useless matters. An exceedingly good sheep-dog attends to nothing else but that particular branch of business to which he is bred. His whole capacity is exerted and exhausted on it, and he is of little avail in miscellaneous matters; whereas, a very indifferent cur, bred about the house, and accustomed to assist in every thing, will often put the more noble breed to disgrace in those paltry services.
“If one calls out, for instance, that the cows are in the corn, or the hens in the garden, the house-colley needs no other hint, but runs and turns them out. The shepherd’s dog knows not what is astir; and, if he is called out in a hurry for such work, all that he will do is to break to the hill, and rear himself up on end to see if no sheep are running away. A bred sheep-dog, if coming hungry from the hills, and getting into a milk-house, would most likely think of nothing else than filling his belly with the cream.
“Not so his uninitiated brother; he is bred at home to far higher principles of honour. I have known such lie night and day among from ten to twenty pails full of milk, and never once break the cream of one of them with the tip of his tongue, nor would he suffer cat, rat, or any other creature to touch it. This latter sort, too, are far more acute at taking up what is said in a family.
“The anecdotes of these animals are all so much alike, that were I but to relate the thousandth part of those I have heard, they would often look very much like repetitions. I shall therefore, in this paper, only mention one or two of the most singular, which I know to be well authenticated.
“There was a shepherd lad near Langholm, whose name was Scott, who possessed a bitch famed over all the West Border for her singular tractability. He could have sent her home with one sheep, two sheep, or any given number, from any of the neighbouring farms; and, in the lambing season, it was his uniform practice to send her home with the kebbed ewes just as he got them.
“I must let the town reader understand this. A kebbed ewe is one whose lamb dies. As soon as such is found, she is immediately brought home by the shepherd, and another lamb put to her; and Scott, on going his rounds on the hill, whenever he found a kebbed ewe, immediately gave her in charge to his bitch to take home, which saved him from coming back that way again and going over the same ground he had visited before.
“She always took them carefully home, and put them into a fold which was close by the house, keeping watch over them till she was seen by some one of the family; upon which she instantly decamped, and hastened back to her master, who sometimes sent her three times home in one morning with different charges. It was the custom of the farmer to watch her and take the sheep in charge from her: but this required a good deal of caution; for as soon as she perceived that she was seen, whether the sheep were put into the fold or not, she concluded her charge was at an end, and no flattery could induce her to stay and assist in folding them.
“There was a display of accuracy and attention in this that I cannot say I have ever seen equalled.”
* * *
Comments and disagreements are welcome, but be sure to read the Comment Policy. If this post made you think and you'd like to read more like it, consider a donation to my 4 Border Collies' Treat and Toy Fund. They'll be glad you did. You can subscribe to the feed or enter your e-mail in the field on the left to receive notice of new content. You can also like BorderWars on Facebook for more frequent musings and curiosities.
* * *
Christopher again you touch on the heart and soul with these old stories of the Master’s of the Herding Breed understanding of this branch of canines.
Christopher many miss out so much in life bonding with their canines. I feel this last post on Science Daily really makes another point to be considered. A different higher intelligence and compassion for all living things. A dog like a child can not reach it full potential kept in a closet or cage.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140606120403.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fdogs+%28Dogs+News+
The thing I liked most in this post was the use of the word ‘tractable’.
It is fantastic when a dog senses what needs to be done and tries to do it, especially if it does the right thing in a moderately complicated situation.
I’m a Labrador person, and we always talk about ‘biddable’ — which means they try to please.
I wish there were more breeding for ‘tractable’ — ie., intuiting the correct response and doing it. Intelligent cooperation.
There’s zero chance that any dog of mine is going to have to deal with a kebbed ewe. But I suspect the same intelligence that let this bitch help with kebbed ewes would lead to useful reactions to oncoming epileptic fits, constructive response to autistic behavior, and all the other things that some dogs instinctively do that make them wonderful companions.
Has anyone ever cast this suspicion as a hypothesis and formally tested it? I don’t know if you can breed for this sort of intelligence . .. but it would be wonderful if we could do so. If we could, I’d be willing to forget breed entirely and go for ‘tractability’.
Oops. Should have gotten out the dictionary before mouthing off. Tractable is defined as easy to control or influence. This bitch was more than tractable.
I think the word you’re looking for would be “sagacity” – wisdom, sound judgment, the ability to make decisions independently. It’s so much more than just intelligence or biddability. Though being biddable is important too, otherwise those independent decisions might not be in the best interest of the human member of the team!
I believe you breed for the intelligence with proper brain cage for the developing brain first taking health issues of course to account. It is my understanding Animal Trainers let the canine grow up first. Just as Bob Weatherwax states …serious training does not begin until they are two years old. It is like the ‘puppy flyers” in the show ring …everything on fast track. Seems like forcing a child to play the piano, or take serious ballet lesson, play football and baseball, golf, swimming or gymnastics….You burn them out and are not well rounded adjusted adults. Who knows what the real potential could have been.
This story makes me want to get a non-sheep working bred BC, they sound wonderful.
Im not so fond of dogs with a single purpose in life they can drive you to distraction.
“Sagacity in trifling and useless matters” ? Well all I can say is if the rat sipped my cream and the chickens wrecked my flowers or the cows ate my corn I would consider it a very serious matter. Not least because I might be dead from a rat born disease even before I starve to death and have no flowers for my grave.
Sheep are the trifling matter! (: Though of course they may be the sole income earner and a bit more precious to some.
The exception to this is that I have always admired those dog breeds socialised to sheep that spend their days roaming vast farms at their side night and day protecting them from predators. Its quite something to see them stir suddenly from the ground and stand tall and watch you go, amongst all those unremarkable stone like and rather unintelligent sheep who don’t so much as raise their heads from the ground.
I guess I’ll go for the non-sheep breed then.
Max Arthur recently posted..myTonic